Elijah williams



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IMPROVEMENT IN PROPEILING BOATS.

fitlp 5dge1inlt numb in in that new patent-nut mating part at it: time.

Be it-knownthat I, ELIJ'AH WILLIAMS, of Marianna, Jackson county,Florida,'have invented a new and improved Machine for PropellingFlat-Boats, Canal-Boats, Secure, and Gondolas, or other similar watercrafts;

and I'do hereby declare that the following is a. full, clear, andexact-description of the construction and operation of the same,reference being had to the annexed drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a.side elevation.

Figure? is a. view looking down upon it from a point directly over itscentre.

A represents the deck of the boot; B B, paddles or other wheels, of anyordinary construction G is a shaft; D is a ratehetnvheelt E is apinion-wheel; F is a. driving-wheel; f f, cogs in driving-wheel; G G,levers; g, pivot fulcrum o'f levers; H H, adjustable screws; I, platformon which machinery rests, and to which it. is

attached; K, crank-wheel; L, shaft of ratchet-wheel D; M,-pos'tsupporting ratchet-wheel D; N, post supporting driving-wheel F; 0 O,pawls; P P, springs to press down the pawls.

To enable .others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe its construction and operation;

The object of my invention is to actuate rotary motion for the purposeof propelling boats by means of levers operated by man or horse power.To accomplish this, to the shaft 0, 'attached to the wheels 13 B, I atany suitable point firmly fix a. pinion-wheel, in the teeth of whichplays a ratchetewheel, D, of any desired diameter, supported by a shaft,L, resting in post M, of'which but one can be exhibited in the drawings.To the shaft L is attached a. pinion-wheel, E, in which play the teethof a driving-wheel, F, which is supported by a shaft, L, working in thepost N. To each fiat surface of the driving-wheel F I firmly attach awheel, f f, of less diameter than the driving-wheel, in the periphery ofeach of which cogs are out. These wheels may be cast or otherwise madeas parts of the driving-wheel. In each of these wheels 'w'orks one endof a pawl, O,

the other end being attached to a. lever. These pawls are pressed uponthe cogs by 0. spring, P P, which also is fixed to the lever. On liftingalternately the free ends of the levers-the teeth -of the pawls slideback over the cogs, and on depressing them the tcethcatching in the cogscause the driving-wheel F'to revolve and thus set the wheels 3 inmotion, propelling, the boat connected with the wheels. When desired thewheels may be' detached from the cogs by raising and suspending thepawls by chains, as exhibited in the drawings.

The levers should be operated alternately, one being raised while theother is being depressed. They may be operated by man power intheordinary manner, or by man or horsepower turning a. crank-wheelworking in slots cut through the free ends of the levers. The fulcrum gof the levers may be placed where represented in the drawings, or at ornear the foot of the post It may be necessary to elevate or depress thewheels B B as the boat is more or less deeply laden. To accomplish thisI attach my machinery to a platform, I, which is fixed to the deck A ofthe boat by. means of vertically adjustable screws H H H, the lower endsof which are firmly fastened in the deck A of the boat, and' on theupper ends of which nuts work. By turning up the nuts the platform I maybe raised, and it may be kept in its place by means of blocks placedunderit. To depress the wheels I move thc blocks and reverse theoperation of the nuts. To reverse the motion of the boat the levers maybe detached, as fifore described, and the machinery backed by'means of acrank-wheel, K,

attached to the shaft 'L.

My invention will be found of great service on shallow water, wheresteam cannot be used to advantage, and where boats and scows are nowvpropelled by poles. By the use of my invention four men easily mayperform the labor which now requires twelve, and at a light expense formachinery.

What I claim'as my invention, and desire to secure'by Letters Patent, isas follows:

1. The combination of the pawls C O, with the springs I P, and thedriving-wheel F, the pinion-wheel E,

the ratchet-wheel D, and the paddle-wheels B B, all constructed'audoperated substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbeforeset forth.

2. I claim, in combination with the above, the method of elevating anddepressing the paddle-wheels by means of a platform operated byadjustable screws and blocks, substantially in the manner-and for thepurposes above set forth.

ELIJAH WILLIAMS.

Witnesses JNO. DANBY, 1 Rear. Doses.

